(12) Stock Plans:

At September 30, 2015, we had six stock-based compensation plans under which grants were made and awards remained outstanding. No further awards may be granted under four of the plans: the 1996 Equity Incentive Plan (the 1996 EIP), the Amended and Restated 2000 Equity Incentive Plan (the 2000 EIP), the 2009 Equity Incentive Plan (the 2009 EIP) and the Deferred Fee Plan. At September 30, 2015, there were 22,541,000 shares authorized for grant and 12,629,000 shares available for grant under the 2013 Equity Incentive Plan (the 2013 EIP and together with the 1996 EIP, the 2000 EIP and the 2009 EIP, the EIPs) and the Directors’ Equity Plan. Our general policy is to issue shares from treasury upon the grant of restricted shares and the exercise of options.

Performance Shares

On February 25, 2015, the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors granted approximately 665,000 performance shares under the Frontier Long Term Incentive Plan (the LTIP) and set the operating cash flow performance goal for 2015, which applies to the first year in the 2015-2017 measurement period, the second year of the 2014-2016 measurement period and the third year of the 2013-2015 measurement period.

The following summary presents information regarding LTIP target performance shares as of September 30, 2015 and changes during the nine months then ended with regard to LTIP shares awarded under the 2009 EIP and the 2013 EIP:



		Number of
		Shares
		(in thousands)
Balance at January 1, 2015		2,682
LTIP target performance shares granted		738
LTIP target performance shares earned		(743)
LTIP target performance shares forfeited		(152)
Balance at September 30, 2015		2,525

For purposes of determining compensation expense, the fair value of each performance share is measured at the end of each reporting period and, therefore, will fluctuate based on the price of Frontier common stock as well as performance relative to the targets. For the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, we recognized an expense of $6 million and $3 million, respectively, for the LTIP.

Restricted Stock

The following summary presents information regarding unvested restricted stock as of September 30, 2015 and changes during the nine months then ended with regard to restricted stock under the 2009 EIP and the 2013 EIP:



		Weighted
		Average
	Number of	Grant Date		Aggregate
	Shares	Fair Value		Fair Value
	(in thousands)	(per share)		(in millions)
Balance at January 1, 2015	7,807	$	4.75	$	52
Restricted stock granted	2,814	$	7.92	$	13
Restricted stock vested	(3,209)	$	4.89	$	15
Restricted stock forfeited	(345)	$	5.08
Balance at September 30, 2015	7,067	$	5.93	$	34

For purposes of determining compensation expense, the fair value of each restricted stock grant is estimated based on the average of the high and low market price of a share of our common stock on the date of grant. Total remaining unrecognized compensation cost associated with unvested restricted stock awards at September 30, 2015 was $29 million and the weighted average period over which this cost is expected to be recognized is approximately 1.5 years.

Shares granted during the first nine months of 2014 totaled 3,836,000. The total fair value of shares of restricted stock granted and vested at September 30, 2014 was approximately $25 million and $15 million, respectively. The total fair value of unvested restricted stock at September 30, 2014 was $48 million. The weighted average grant date fair value of restricted shares granted during the nine months ended September 30, 2014 was $4.74 per share.

We have granted restricted stock awards to employees in the form of our common stock. None of the restricted stock awards may be sold, assigned, pledged or otherwise transferred, voluntarily or involuntarily, by the employees until the restrictions lapse, subject to limited exceptions. The restrictions are time-based. Compensation expense, recognized in “Selling, general and administrative expenses”, of $13 million and $12 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively, has been recorded in connection with these grants.